Google Pulled Out 1000 Fake News Websites
A recent Google news article states that Google removed over 1,000 fake new websites on Monday that spread propaganda aligned with China’s political interests, highlighting a critical issue in the latest tech world news.
Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (TAG), in collaboration with its cybersecurity firm Mandiant, has found that an extensive network of fake news websites operated by four different PR firms was spreading fake news, fostering interest in the Chinese government.
Google’s threat analysis group finds companies named Shanghai Haixun Technology, Haimai, DURINBRIDGE, and Shenzhen Bowen Media responsible for spreading fake updates and running counterfeit domains.
Since 2022, Google has removed more than 1,000 fake domains from its Google Discover and News section. The main reasons for operating these counterfeit domains were violating policies and a lack of transparency.
Shanghai Haixun Technology firm operates over 600 policy-violating domains with target audiences in India, Kenya, Vietnam, and Brazil. The website mostly republished articles from Chinese state media or politically charged content on topics like COVID-19, Taiwan, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea.
Furthermore, in July 2023, Haixun’s campaigns were creeping into genuine news outlets through subdomains offered by its newswire services, Word Newswires and Times Newswire, taking the credibility of established and popular media brands.
Other public relations companies target audiences and regions. Paper Wall handled over 100 websites masquerading as local outlets across 30 countries, while DURINBRIdGE maintained over 200 domains. Shenzhen Bowen Media focused on showcasing the pro-China narrative in localized contexts.
Shenzhen Bowen Media managed a network of more than 100 news websites that were developed and designed to serve countries and cities. Articles were mainly published in local languages, including Japanese, French, German, and Thai, to gain credibility among local audiences.
It was often showcased as genuine news with pro-Beijing narratives sourced from its newswire service, World Newswire, which Haixun also utilized.
Such operations are part of the growing trend of nation-states outsourcing influence campaigns to private PR firms, enabling deniability. By utilizing fake news sites instead of traditional social media disinformation, this campaign can target audiences more effectively, tailoring content to local issues and languages.
Moreover, Google’s blocking of such websites shows that disinformation campaigns are a reality—the exposure of the GlASSBRIDGE network. The lesson is vital for readers to evaluate the news source and verify info across multiple outlets.
